Personal: Manuka Flower and Honey Bee

Personal Work. A slightly more botanical/scientific illustration of Manuka Flowers and a honey bee. 

Manuka flowers are native to New Zealand and Australia. Their honey, with its "Active UMF Factor", is considered to have antiviral and antibacterial properties. "Most people who buy Manuka honey simply put it on their toast or in their tea, but where it really comes into its own is in treating wounds. In New Zealand, it has long been used in this way and studied extensively. Now, the NHS is doing the same." 

The honey bee proved quite difficult at first as it took many sketches to get the right proportions...and then when it came to adding colour, I had to first experiment with quite a few different techniques 

in the hope of capturing all of his different textures!

Images are (C) Amy Holliday 2013. Do not use without permission.